WORCESTER 
Now that the panhandling ban will prohibit so-called “tag days” on city streets, City Manager Michael V. O’Brien says his administration will look into filling that void by identifying ways the city can properly fund the maintenance of municipally owned fields and facilities used by local youth sports leagues.

City officials also will look for ways to increase funding for public school athletic programs to make up for the loss of money that many high school teams raise through tag days to help pay for equipment and uniforms.

When the city faced difficult budget challenges 25 to 30 years ago, Mr. O’Brien said, the city essentially “walked away” from some maintenance issues at many of its fields and facilities used by local youth sports leagues because of deep cuts in the Parks Department budget.

He said that prompted many youth leagues to step forward and raise money on their own for the upkeep of those facilities through tag days — a longstanding practice in which representatives of charitable organizations and youth sports groups solicit donations from motorists at city intersections.

Mr. O’Brien said the leagues used the money from tag days to make repairs and improvements to their facilities, such as installing new fencing, purchasing stone dust and repairing wood boards to street hockey rinks.

“Tag days became a method to fund what used to be city expenses at city parks and playgrounds,” Mr. O’Brien said.

But tag days are on their way out, after the City Council Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a pair of ordinances making it illegal to solicit money from motorists while standing in the street, walking in and out of traffic or standing on a traffic island. By an 8-2 vote, the council agreed to advertise the ordinances, which target so-called “aggressive” panhandlers who solicit money while walking in and out of traffic at busy intersections. They will also put an end to tag days.

A final vote on the ordinances will be taken by the City Council Jan. 29.

That has drawn concerns from youth sports leagues, which rely on money raised from tag days to purchase uniforms, equipment and baseballs, as well as to cover costs associated with the maintenance of their fields.

Some of the smaller leagues in the city fear that if they are unable to continue raising money from tag days, they may have to cease.

Mr. O’Brien pointed out that several high school teams have also relied on fundraising from tag days to pay for equipment and uniforms that the city should be supplying.

The manager said he intends to confer with Robert L. Moylan Jr., commissioner of public works and parks, and School Superintendent Melinda J. Boone, to find out what those expenses have been historically.

“We want to do our very best to put a funding source together so we can address these expenses for our facilities,” Mr. O’Brien told the City Council Tuesday night. “These expenses were historically ours, but the various youth leagues took them over when we could no longer fund them.

“We want to address this in a way that keeps our facilities safe and keeps our youth off the streets,” he added.